Agenda item

The Executive Board considered a report on the work being undertaken under the auspices of the 2014 Social Services and Well-Being (Wales) Act on Service Integration, Pooled Funding and Regional Governance Arrangements. It was noted that under the Act, all local authorities were required to establish and maintain pooled fund arrangements in relation to:-

-        the exercise of their care home accommodation functions for adults (by 6^th April, 2018);

-        the exercise of their family support functions;

-        specified functions exercised jointly in response to Population Assessments, where such arrangements were considered appropriate.

It was noted that in accordance with the above requirements, the West Wales Care Partnership, established under Part 9 of the Act, had prioritised the establishments of pooled funding arrangements for older people’s care homes by the statutory deadline, with that approach being consistent elsewhere within Wales.

The report also detailed developments in relation to work being undertaken on Pooled Funds for Adult Home Care Placements, Pooled Funds for Integrated Family Support Services and reviewing the possibility of introducing an Integrated Community Equipment Store on a Regional basis.

The Board was advised that both Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion County Council’s had approved their reports on pooled funding and it was now being requested to consider approving the report’s recommendations, in principle, to the regional approach to pooled funds for care homes, pooled funds for Integrated Family Support Services and reviewing Community Equipment Stores

Councillor D. Cundy, in accordance with CPR 11.1 expressed concern at the proposed pooling arrangements, the establishment of a virtual budget and the need for robust scrutiny and control mechanisms. As the intention would be for pooled funds to be fully operational from 2019-2020, he expressed the view that there appeared to be no defined implementation date and that the Council would have to continue to deliver its care services on a day to day basis funded from allocated budgets. He therefore asked “Can assurances be given that current arrangements of allocated funding for County Council run Care Home Provision in Carmarthenshire, and particularly in Llanelli, which run into many millions of pounds, are ring fenced and are not subject to the regional pooling of funds”.

The Executive Board Member for Social Care and Health advised that during 2018/19, the pooled fund would operate as a single reporting arrangement for externally commissioned placements for older adults. The ambition for 2019-20 and beyond was for ‘in-house’ provision to be brought within the scope of the pooled fund arrangement. That would require the establishment of appropriate revenue costs for individual in-house placements. There were currently no plans to consider capital within the pooled fund. On that basis, investment decisions in relation to the provision of in-house accommodation would remain with the local authority. The Council was firmly committed to further capital investment in its current Care Home provision, making sure it fully complimented any new provision, particularly in the Llanelli area.

The Head of Regional collaboration referred to the proposal for the establishment of a virtual pooled fund and confirmed that for 2018/19, that would not involve any transfer of money to mitigate risks of cross funding and administration costs etc. Whilst there was clear ministerial expectation, and stated regional ambition, that physical pooled funds would be in place by 2019/20, the Welsh Government had been advised of the concerns expressed in relation thereto and discussions were on-going to resolve those. It was also confirmed that further reports on the arrangements for pooled funds would be reported to the council via the democratic process.

UNANIMOUSLY RESOLVED that an in-principle endorsement be given to the regional approach to:

·        Pooled funds for adult care home placements

·        Pooled funds for Integrated Family Support Services and;

·        Reviewing Community Equipment Stores